Nestle rolls out pets at work scheme to York-based employees

Food and drink organisation Nestle has rolled out a Pets at Work (Paw) scheme to employees based at its York office, enabling dog owners to bring their pets to work with them.

The scheme was introduced for employees based at Nestle House in York on Thursday 4 April, making it the organisation’s fifth pet-friendly location in the UK and Ireland; its operating sites in Gatwick and Dublin, for example, have been running Paw since 2015.

Paw is only available for employees working out of the Nestle House office; this is to adhere to the strict decontamination procedures between the factory area and offices.

Nestle has rolled out the scheme to help improve employee morale and the work environment, as well as to encourage employees to be more active.

Employees who wish to utilise Paw have to undergo a three-phase introduction procedure for their dogs in order to gain them ‘passpawts’ and entry to Nestle House. This includes completing a detailed questionnaire to ensure employees’ dogs are suitable for the scheme, and having each dog attend a full health check. Pets and their owners will also be required to complete 12 exercises during an assessment with an independent specialist.

New dogs at Nestle House then undergo a three-month probation, during which time they are assigned a dog-friendly buddy to ensure the pets feel comfortable in an office environment surrounded by their owner’s colleagues and other pets. After this probation period, the independent specialist will oversee a second assessment of 10 exercises. If the dog passes these, then they are granted their passpawt.

Paul Steadman, HR director at Nestle UK and Ireland, said: “At Nestle, we believe with a passion that people and pets are better together. Our research and experience tells us that Paw boosts employee morale, encourages more physical activity and helps us create a stimulating environment where our people are happy, have fun and can perform at their best. Having pets in the office is inspirational.

“I’m delighted to welcome the first dogs into our York offices and I’m looking forward to meeting many more four-legged friends in the coming days and weeks.”